New Wave Artist Spotlights

How did the band Japan become new romantic's missing link? Explore essential 70s & 80s songs that bridged Roxy Music's elegance and the stylish sound of early Duran Duran.

Discover a track-by-track album analysis of Duran Duran's new wave album Big Thing. It brings up musical influences, themes, and the band's bold 1988 evolution.

Ska revivalists Madness are known for their wild, “nutty” energy, but that’s only half the story. This explores six essential songs from their classic late 70s and early 80s era, from the chaos of One Step Beyond and Baggy Trousers to the restraint of Embarrassment.

Sleek, funky, and quietly defiant, 1986's "Notorious" reinvented Duran Duran. This track-by-track deep dive explores the band’s stripped-down lineup, Nile Rodgers’ influence, and the sharper, more mature new wave sound that still feels overlooked today.

'80s new wave hitmakers the Police often tackled dark themes, but rarely let them overwhelm. Through humor and subtle reframing, they reshaped tension into something manageable. Essential songs to listen to.

A track-by-track deep dive into 1985's "So Red the Rose" by Arcadia: the Duran Duran side project that traded pop immediacy for atmosphere, and bold experimentation. Explore how LeBon, Rhodes & Roger Taylor made their sound darker & more cinematic - and why this new wave album still fascinates.

Elvis Costello’s '70s songs rarely mean what they seem. A look at the anger, ’50s influences, and clever misdirection behind his first three, essential new wave albums.

In the '70s and '80s new wavers Blondie moved effortlessly between punk, girl-group pop, disco, and global sounds. See how with essential songs, while keeping a distinct core identity.

Synthpop band Ultravox didn’t just change singers, but also its blueprint. Explore how John Foxx’s '70s detached, dystopian minimalism contrasts with Midge Ure’s '80s emotional, cathedral-sized anthems across tone and scale. Essential songs for each singer

Was A-Ha the late '80s bookend of new wave? A look at the essential albums Hunting High and Low, Scoundrel Days, and Stay on These Roads - restraint, tension, and cinematic scale.

A track-by-track deep dive into 1983's "Seven and the Ragged Tiger": explore how Duran Duran’s third album balanced new wave ambition with world-spanning sessions, chart-topping hits, and internal tensions.

Explore new wavers B-52s’ remarkable comeback: how tragedy and creative risk-taking reinvented sound turned the Athens new wave oddballs into late-’80s hitmakers with Cosmic Thing and other essential songs.

A track-by-track deep dive into "Rio": explore how Duran Duran’s 1982 album avoided the sophomore slump, sparked MTV fame, and blended new romantic energy with artful songwriting and iconic videos.

Explore Depeche Mode’s transformation through their essential songs: from '80s raw synth beginnings to global synthpop icons in the '90s, weaving darkness, devotion, and sonic reinvention.

Explore, with essential songs, how Missing Persons fused Frank Zappa-trained virtuosity with Los Angeles' neon new wave in the '80s, influencing MTV sound and even future acts like Duran Duran.

Explore Tears for Fears’ emotional arc in the '80s and '90s: from the primal trauma of The Hurting through cathartic new wave anthems and healing reflections across their classic albums.

Take a five-album tour through the Cars’ evolution: from '70s jangly power-pop roots to '80s glossy synth-fused new wave hits like You Might Think.

A track-by-track deep dive into Duran Duran’s self-titled 1981 debut: how their blend of synth, dance rhythms, and new wave style on tracks like Sound of Thunder and Girls on Film helped define their early sound.

Explore how Ireland's Boomtown Rats used new wave energy and social commentary in the '70s and '80s. Essential songs like I Don’t Like Mondays blend catchy hooks with dark, provocative themes.

Explore Cyndi Lauper’s new wave impact, from her Queens roots to Girls Just Want to Have Fun and three essential ’80s albums that defined her rise.

Discover four essential “sutras” in Howard Jones’s music that blend '80s synthpop warmth with mindfulness and optimism, showing how his songs offer emotional insight and Zen.

With their classic albums, explore how Squeeze’s Difford and Tilbrook turned sharp, witty narratives and melodic hooks into some of new wave’s most literate and enduring songs in the '70s and early '80s.

See how Thomas Dolby’s first four albums go beyond quirky '80s synthpop science. His essential songs blend satire, sorrow, and sci-fi noir to reveal the depth behind his pioneering sound.

Discover Austrian new wave pioneer Falco: with essential songs like Der Kommissar and Rock Me Amadeus, his quirky rap-infected stylings and place in ’80s music history.

Gary Numan stumbled upon a synth and transformed his music. Trace his journey from Tubeway Army through Replicas, The Pleasure Principle and Telekon—and the influence he left behind.